Chapter 15
Jemma watched as the groups filed out of the conference room. Some were excited—promising. Others were clearly offended. Trouble ahead. Especially HR.
Joannie would be a problem. Jemma made a mental note to contact an outside agency. A new HR director was her first priority. No progress could happen without the right people—and Joannie would block every hire out of spite. Better to work around her for now than waste energy on a losing battle.
But that wasn’t her biggest concern.
Down the long, undecorated room, her eyes met Saif’s. That look… was it admiration?
She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, a staffer stepped in, handed him a small box, and disappeared.
The silence that followed pulsed with awareness.
That old, electric awareness—the kind that led to tangled sheets and breathless mornings.
Nope! Not again. She couldn’t afford it.
Not with Jasper. Not with Jayla. Not with fifty employees suddenly depending on her.
“This is for you,” Saif said, setting the sleek black box on the table, cream ribbon perfectly tied. But he didn’t push it toward her.
He just stood there. Waiting.
Waiting for her to come to him?
“Saif, we’re not… together anymore,” she said, voice low as she glanced at the doorway to ensure no one was within earshot.
“This is to help you do your job more effectively, Jemma.” He gestured to the box, then looked back at her, a quiet challenge in his eyes.
“What is it?” she asked warily.
“Come look,” he replied, his tone almost teasing.
She leaned against the far wall, amused despite herself. There was something about him. There always had been.
“I think it’s safer if I stay over here.”
He chuckled, that deep, wicked sound she remembered so clearly. It sent heat curling down her spine. Damn, she remembered that laugh—close to her ear, tangled in her hair, followed by clothes hitting the floor.
“Saif,” she warned, “you can’t give me presents anymore.”
“I can do whatever the hell I want,” he countered, unapologetic. Then his eyes dropped to her wrist. Bare.
“You sold the watch I gave you, didn’t you?”
She instinctively covered her wrist. “Yes,” she said quietly. “And the jewelry too.”
The diamond earrings. The bracelet. All gone.
The amount she’d gotten from the pawn shop had barely made a dent in the medical bills.
By the time the funeral bills were added to the medical debts, she was drowning. The house had been mortgaged. Her mother’s old sedan worthless. The watch and jewelry were the last things she’d sold. The man who bought them had seen her desperation—and bled her dry.
“You feel it too, don’t you?” he asked, voice low, coaxing, like he was trying to keep her from bolting.
Jemma considered various ways to answer, and went with the truth. “It doesn’t matter,” she admitted. “The past year has been very hard. I’ve made mistakes.”
“The first one being quitting your job with me.”
“I had my reasons.”
A dark eyebrow shot up. “What were they?” he demanded. “And don’t give me that ‘it was time’ crap, I won’t accept it. That’s not an answer.”
She shook her head. “It really was the kind thing, Saif.” She sighed. “I can do this, Saif,” gesturing to the room. “I can turn this company around.”
“I know that you can. If I had doubts, I would have fired you and reported your brother to the police.”
She swallowed. Jemma had almost forgotten about Jasper’s vandalism.
“He’s getting a job. An after-school position at the library.
He’s already been hired.” She pushed away from the table and crossed her arms over her chest. “It doesn’t pay much, but it’s something and he’ll eventually pay you back. ”
He shook his head. “You’re paying me back, Jemma. Here. That’s the deal.” He came around the table, ignoring the small, black box as he approached her. “You will turn this place around and the profits from the company will pay me back for the destruction Jasper created in my office.”
“And if I fail?”
“You won’t,” he countered.
“But what if I do?”
The corners of his lips twitched. “You won’t.” He headed for the door. “I’ll be back in a week. I expect a report on your progress.”
Then he was gone. Jemma stared at the door, wondering why he had so much confidence in her. Then she looked around, her eyes landing on the small, black box. Was it more jewelry? He had to know that she would sell whatever he gave her!
Wait! She didn’t have that massive debt hanging over her head any longer!
She could tell the debt collectors to go to hell!
She’d done some online research last night before working on her business plan.
And Saif had been right. She and Jasper hadn’t inherited her mother’s medical debt. She was free and clear.
She eyed the box. What had he given her?
Unable to ignore her burning curiosity, Jemma walked to the other end of the conference room table.
After tugging at the satin ribbon, which fell away, she lifted the black box and opened the lid.
But there wasn’t jewelry inside. Instead, she found…
a key fob? Pulling it from the box, she stared at the emblem of a luxury car brand.
It still took her several breaths before she understood.
Saif had bought her a car!